Heartland busiest ever

February 14, 2014

STEUBENVILLE - More than 1,300 Ohio Valley residents had their blood tested for more than 30 different conditions at Trinity Health System's Heartland on Thursday.

"It's the busiest it's ever been," said Keith Murdock, Trinity's director of community relations and development. "We're really pleased people could make it out."

More than 2,000 people explored the maze of health-related informational tables in Fort Steuben Mall throughout the day. Every department of the hospital was represented at booths littered with pamphlets and prize drawings.

In addition to the array of educational material and the opportunity to speak with healthcare professionals firsthand, the 21-year-old event offered the community blood analysis, which screens blood for more than 30 different conditions.

The cost of the blood screening was $35, and participants can expect results within a few weeks, according to Murdock. Also available for $15 was HBA1c screening, which monitors glucose control of diabetics over time.

"This testing normally costs close to $600," according to Glenda Fordyce, who helped attendees sign in as they entered. "It's a wonderful thing. A lot of people can't afford to get these tests, so it really helps. This is the highest volume we've had in eight years."

Heartland, sponsored by Prime Time Office on Aging, the Herald-Star, WTOV-TV, Lamar and WCDK-FM, has seen more than 27,000 area residents since its inception.